


Christmas Date

by grizzlegreertrash



Series: Sai Journal [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Follows the novels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:06:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24376981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grizzlegreertrash/pseuds/grizzlegreertrash
Summary: “Are you doing anything Christmas Eve?”Ino froze at Sai’s words, trying to process them. Of all the things she expected to come out of Sai’s mouth, which was quite a list mind you, she had never expected him to ask about Christmas. She had her back turned to him as she had assumed he was only visiting to ask more overly-complicated questions about the journal she gave him.But Sai of all people asking her about plans on Christmas Eve?Or, Sai doesn't understand the cultural significance of Christmas EveSaiino oneshot connected to "A New Possession-Sai's Journal"
Relationships: Sai/Yamanaka Ino
Series: Sai Journal [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760044
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Christmas Date

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there,
> 
> This is a connecting one shot to my main story, "A New Possession-Sai's Journal" that documents the thoughts and feelings of Sai during the turbulent blank period in between Naruto and Boruto. This is posted separately from that story is that this is completely narrative. This is also the first narrative piece written in over a year. This time with actual dialogue. I realized from my previous entries that I am capable of writing like this, and I did enjoy writing it. I do plan on writing more narrative tie-ins to the journal, so you can expect to see more. 
> 
> However, this particular story line I had a bit of trouble, since I know in the timeline it’s still a bit too early for Sai and Ino to get together. I decided to take inspiration from multiple fics in order to get a coherent idea. I particularly took a running theme in omegafire17′s classic fic Art Date. 
> 
> I also want to once again shout out my bf for listening to my dribble and helping me edit this. He wants to complain, but I know he enjoys doing this. 
> 
> This was my first true hurdle since beginning this project, so I am excited to finally overcome it so I can continue on with the story proper, I hope you also enjoy it. I also hope you enjoy angst, because this has got plenty of it.

“Are you doing anything Christmas Eve?”

Ino froze at Sai’s words, trying to process them. Of all the things she expected to come out of Sai’s mouth, which was quite a list mind you, she had never expected him to ask about Christmas. She had her back turned to him as she had assumed he was only visiting to ask more overly-complicated questions about the journal she gave him.

But Sai of all people asking her about plans on Christmas Eve?

If she were still 16, the idea of being asked out on Christmas Eve would’ve given her enough joy to last her a lifetime. But she was now 20, and this was Sai.

Perhaps he’s been sent to inform her of a group gathering. She turned around, applying a small smile as an attempt to enforce a casual atmosphere. 

“Nothing in particular. I will be working here a bit, but we’re closing early. Is there something going on?”

His expression then grew pensive, as if he had realized that he once again slipped into his mask. He was truly a challenge for a highly skilled interrogator like her to read, but the more she spoke with him, the more she could pinpoint the cracks in his false demeanor. With this, she could tell that he was having a bit of difficulty with communicating his words.

“Well, I was thinking about inviting you over to celebrate with me.”

Ok so the group gathering was out the window and now her mind was taking a slow but steady nose dive into panic. Sai asking her out on Christmas Eve of all times seemed too unbelievable to be true. 

Don’t get her wrong, she still found the young man incredibly attractive. She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t acknowledge the finer points in his appearance. Like his face, or his hair, or his body...

“Uh-” she stammered before he continued.

“I figured since you have given me so much during the span of our friendship, that I could perhaps repay you. Christmas just seemed to be good timing.”

His eyebrows raised slightly, reflecting the utter innocence in his request. Ino inwardly sighed, relieved at his clarification. 

More like bad timing… Of course it would be as pure intentioned as him. 

It’s not as if she would’ve rejected his advances if it were a date. In fact, she’s been wanting to pull back more of the layers and dig into that inner psyche of his since they met, but that was before she realized how delicate his situation truly was. 

The mission to the Land of Silence proved to her that the only way she could truly connect to Sai is if he’d let her in. His trauma ran deep. Deep enough to cover up his true smile and emotional responses.

Seeing his smile in the depths of his subconscious made her heart weep and flutter all at once. 

She truly wanted to get to know him better, but he had to get to know himself first. This was her intention when she gave him that journal to write in, and based on his accounts it seemed like it was doing the trick. It also helped that they had engaged in more small talk when he visited the shop. 

But now a true opportunity has presented itself to Ino to finally delve into that mysterious aura that had once allured her. 

Okay, maybe it’s still a bit alluring now. 

As she relaxed, her nervous grin fell into a soft smile.

“So tell me more about this gift of yours…”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ino followed Sai as he led her through the village, absorbing the environment around her. Christmas Eve in Konoha had always been nothing short of festive; Strung up lights floated above the heads of those walking along the snow ridden paths. Gazing at the ground before her, she couldn’t help being overcome by memories of her childhood perched atop her father’s shoulders as their family strolled through those very same sights. Christmas hasn’t been the same without him. Nothing was the same without him if she were honest. Especially to her poor mother, who had insisted she depart with Sai while she finished closing up for the night. 

She glanced at her companion walking beside her. Sai’s expression was unreadable as ever, but she couldn’t help but be transfixed by his cold and focused eyes staring forward towards their destination. She quickly turned her head away as his gaze moved towards her, face growing warm and ponytail whipping behind her. She had tied it up for this outing in order to restrain her hair from being harassed by the winter wind. 

_Why am I like this? I know this is only him being friendly._

But she couldn’t help him being so beautiful.

Hoping he had shifted his focus back to the road, she turned her head once more in his direction, only to find him still staring down at her. 

His expression softened in moderate confusion. “Is there something wrong?” 

“No!” She tried to clarify through frivolous waves of the hand. “I was just remembering something…” Ino trailed off for a moment, trying to assess the interaction before deciding on a new route. “Do you spend every Christmas with girls?” She resorted to her typical method of teasing in hopes to take some of the heat off. That may be difficult with what she was working with. He probably couldn’t even understand the nature of her words. 

As expected, his confusion was still as strong as ever. He lifted his gaze back to the road.

“The few times I’ve experienced this holiday have been at the gatherings that Naruto puts together. You’ve attended a few of them yourself…” Sai paused in his speech before returning his dark stare down to her. “Were you so inebriated that you have forgotten?”

She found herself flushed once more, covering her face with both hands. She wanted to scream, or at the least groan in frustration, but didn’t want to discourage him. Ino needed to be patient with him. She took a deep breath before throwing her hands down to her sides accompanied by an audible exhale.

“I remember Sai, I was just poking fun. You have to know what teasing is, right?”

The curt nod he gave her had enough force to shake the dark bangs that covered his eyes. “Of course. Teasing is an act intended to provoke someone in playfulness. It is still a little hard for me to identify a teasing remark, however.”

As he looked away, his frown deepened, giving her the impression that he was disheartened by that fact. To prevent him from caving in on himself, she lightly placed her hand on his bicep in encouragement. He shivered, eyes wide and pale skin looking even paler as she quickly pulled away. She tried to keep her tone as gentle as she could muster so as to not startle him further.

“It’s okay. I’m sure you will someday.”

Sai only hummed in acknowledgement, peering at her from the corner of his eye. His body was still tense, reeling from the contact. 

_Mission failed. I just want him to be able to trust me._

Just as the awkward silence dropped on them like a weight, they had arrived at their destination. The silence continued until they entered his small apartment. The flat wasn’t very homey, but it seemed to have suited Sai. The bare necessities with his supplies littered around the room. An easel accompanied by a short stool sat in the center of the floor. Another stool was placed across from it. 

She watched as Sai hastily padded around the space, grabbing small things here and there in preparation for the painting.

Ino had been surprised when Sai proposed the idea of painting her given how naturally intimate the process seeme. He would be giving her his undivided attention, something she had always yearned for, and creating something entirely out of her image. It was a fairly high ranking gesture on the romance meter if you asked her. 

“Ino?”

Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized that he had already taken a seat and was gazing at her expectantly. Shaking her head clear of thoughts once more, Ino slowly made her way towards the stool that awaited her across from him. 

She readily noticed the artist’s calculating eyes upon her when she took her seat. His head was slightly tilted, a pale hand covering his mouth. 

“Is there anything in particular you wish for me to do?”

He said nothing for a few moments, still processing his vision she presumed. She watched intently as his hand slipped down to uncover his mouth, focusing only on the movement of his lips.

“I planned on having you pose yourself, but I would personally prefer your hair down for this.”

  
  


She felt warmth rise into her face, averting her eyes from his gaze once more as she brought her hands up to remove the tie from her hair. Her fingers combed at her golden locks that cascaded down her back.

“Is that better?”

She returned her eyes to him to find that his expression had remained static.

_So much for looking seductive_

She let out a frustrated sigh and relented to placing her hands into her lap.

She still found his face unchanged. He almost looked troubled. Regarding her for a moment more, he rose from his stool and stepped over to her, grabbing her face without hesitation and positioning it slightly to the right. 

“Apologies, this seemed much easier than directing you.” Once seated, he peered at her from the side of the easel, a grin stretched across his face

“But to answer your previous question, yes.” 

Ino’s hands reflexively lifted from her lap to wipe at her face in aggravation. 

Sai’s face reappeared from the side of his canvas, this time sporting a look that was far less amused than before. 

“It would be better if you tried not to move or speak during this process.”

Silence suddenly blanketed the room. A common theme with him. She could tell he had started his work because she could only hear the sounds of his pencil scratching the canvas. Outlining, she assumed. Ino had also noticed how often he peeked from behind his canvas to look at her. It was quite amusing to watch his ever-changing glare from her perspective. His thin eyes narrowed, growing even thinner. Sometimes she would be graced by the twisting of his lips, exposing dimples she never would’ve guessed he had in the first place. She especially couldn’t help but notice the way his brow lifted along with one corner of his mouth, almost as if some part of her was particularly interesting to him. 

But what was so interesting? She could easily find out if she put her mind to it. Perhaps all Sai needed was some careful instruction and physical persuasion to bring out those feelings she knew he had. He would probably be eager to learn if she truly insisted. Tonight could present itself with a teaching opportunity if she looked hard enough. He’d probably be up for it, maybe his invitation meant something more. 

_What am I thinking?! Of course it didn’t!_

Ino left her mind to wander into dangerous territory and she had finally become aware. Her resolve was crumbling more and more by the minute and they had only just begun. She wasn’t sure what was worse, the concentrated silence that enveloped him, or that strange lift in his voice. The one that otherwise betrayed the more dreary expression that usually occupied his face. 

_He’s just trying to be friends! And yet-_

Ino shot up from the stool, stiff as a board. She caught a glimpse of Sai from behind his canvas before he noticed, a serene smile adorning his face. 

_He was really enjoying himself. And she was about to ruin that…_

“What’s wrong?”

Genuine bewilderment had spread across his expression.

“Sai, I’m sorry, I just can’t do this.”

Sai sat rooted in his seat, pupils shaking as his mind was incapable of processing the situation

“I-I don’t understand. Wh-what do you mean?” 

Ino wanted to explain, but the thoughts couldn’t form. She didn’t quite understand what was going on with her either. She picked up her discarded jacket and made a move to leave, but was impeded by Sai’s hand tightly gripping hers. 

“Please, at least explain what I did wrong. I thought this was what friends do.” His eyes pleaded with her. Pulling away from his grasp was what finally uprooted him, but he stood frozen in place as she fled towards the door.Her eyes watered as she looked back at his still form and dejected expression. She was really going to break his healing heart, and it killed her.

Ino’s control had vanished, leaving her vulnerable to her oncoming feelings. She needed time to think about the door she was about to enter, and getting worked up over it now would only make it worse.

What could’ve happened if her thoughts strayed any further? 

Would she have acted upon her deep-rooted desires? 

_It doesn’t matter what I want. Sai just doesn’t need that..._

“It’s not you, I promise. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all me. I’m sorry-” 

The door slammed shut behind her before he even had a chance to think over it. 

**Author's Note:**

> And that makes this one shot complete. Angsty as hell. I hope that I did Ino justice with this one. I didn’t want to break Sai’s heart, but it had to be done for the sake of forwarding the plot
> 
> Also to properly convey, Christmas Eve is a romantic holiday in Japan, where couples go out and spend time with one another, similarly to the western Valentine’s day. Not yet sure when the next entry will be posted, but it is coming. I do have multiple ideas for how the story develops after this occurrence. Hopefully I’ll have enough content to get through until the next milestone, the Sakura Hiden.  
> Thanks for sticking with me during what is considered a difficult time for me.
> 
> And if this one is your first step into my realm of Saiino, then welcome! And consider reading my Sai Journal. It follows the novel canon and tries it's best to not be biased against other characters and pairings. But if you prefer reading narrative pieces like this, than worry not! They will be coming, but just not right now. 
> 
> Comments/criticism are welcomed and appreciated 
> 
> Until the next one,
> 
> -Saikage (grizzlegreertrash)


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